The Department of Black Studies was founded in 1969 to provide an accurate and thorough treatment of the history of people of African ancestry; examine the impact of current forces that shape the Black experience; and contribute to a basic understanding of the unique issues faced by people of African ancestry.
The department is the only interdisciplinary department at New Paltz that covers humanities, social sciences, and the arts while concentrating on the African diaspora.
The department offers two different majors in liberal arts and sciences and elementary education.
A black studies major provides a background for students interested in social welfare, government, foreign services, political science, and several other vocations.
The department is a repository for the local liberation struggles from the Antebellum period to the Civil Rights Movement.
